this post may contain affiliate links, read full disclosure.
Hello Everyone!
I’ve found the hardest thing to save money on is entertainment. There are not a ton of coupons out there for it (aside from a clipper magazine) and even when you use a coupon it still costs a ton of money.
For us – Going to the movies just costs to much for me to justify going. The tickets alone cost $10 each – so right off the bat my Husband and I would be spending $20. Plus the second I get into a movie theater all I want is the Movie Theater Popcorn – and if you get popcorn you will need something to drink (at least I do) so then your spending money on a “Value Meal” – which generally includes Medium Popcorn and a Medium Drink for about $12-15 depending on the Theater. So in total going to the movies would cost my family about $35 each time we went. That is over our budget for “entertainment” for the whole week. We literally would need 2 weeks of our entertainment budget for one trip to the movies for just 2 people! That’s just not worth it for me.
This is why – while in general I’m not a super patient person – for some reason when it comes to movies – I have no problem waiting until I can rent it. Not only is it cheaper – but I can watch it from the comfort of my couch in my PJ’s.
But PJ’s aside – lets look at the monetary reasons – I can buy an entire 12 pack of soda and box of popcorn for (on the high side – with no coupons) $6.00 …. Think about that for a second – that is at least a $6 difference from the “Value Meal” at the theater.
Not to mention renting a movie on the high side (I’m talking on-demand from your TV) is about $5. So on the HIGH side – I would be spending $11 for my husband and I to watch a movie, eat an entire box of microwavable popcorn packs and drink a whole 12 pack of Soda! That is $24 cheaper than going to the Theater just one time! Not to mention that box of popcorn will last me at least 3 movies if I ONLY bought a 3 pack and I’m not going to be drinking half of a 12 pack of soda throughout just one movie!
In all actuality my husband and I usually rent from RedBox because it only costs $1.25 per movie – and we usually have a coupon that we use (RedBox texts coupons throughout the week to myself). So even paying full price for a RedBox we save $27.75.
This post doesn’t mean refrain from going to the movies at all – it simply means out of all the times you would go to the movies throughout the entire year – simply consider renting a movie 2-3 of those times. If you go the RedBox route you would only need to rent 2 movies you would have gone to see in the theater to save yourself $55.50! That’s only twice for an entire year – that’s completely doable!
For the sake of the tally here we will round down and say you save $55.00 from this method.
Saved with this methods $55
Total Saved: $727
If you Missed any part of the Series be sure to Catch up:
1. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #1 Use Coupons
2. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #2 wash clothes in cold water
3. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #3 Buy Meat in Bulk When It’s On Sale or Marked Down
4. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #4 Have A Garage Sale
5. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #5 Shop at a Farmer’s Market
6. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #6 Canning
7. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #7 Make Your Own Baby Food
8. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #8 Make Coffee at Home
9. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #9 Movie Night At Your House
10. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #10 Use Gas Rewards
11. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #11 Shop With a Credit Card
12. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #12 Swagbucks